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= About Computer Lab Maintainance =
As the saying goes "'''necessity is the mother of invention'''", and when . When you set up a Linux computer lab, you may be required to provide (or train users) support for that system to . One advantage of providing (volunteering) support, is that '''users will ask you questions which will encourage you to automate or fix problems, instead of you having to think ahead of what tasks to automate by yourself.''' There is simply no better experience (other than working in IT for a company in IT)... = Ubuntu LTSP Documentation (General Reference) = Here is a link to Edubuntu's Documentation of the LTSP server:[http://doc.ubuntu.com/edubuntu/edubuntu/handbook/C/server.html http://doc.ubuntu.com/edubuntu/edubuntu/handbook/C/server.html]
= Automating Routine Tasks =
As a Linux system (LTSP computer lab) administrator, Your jobs job is to "look after" the smooth operation of the computer lab. This will require you to either use graphical applications (programs) to administer the computer lab, or open a command prompt (called a "shell" in Linux terminology) to issue Linux operating system commands.
A wise old-timer (referred to as a "grey-beard") Unix/Linux user once mentioned a saying, "'''With Linux, learn it once, know it always'''". What is really means is In other words, if you take the time to learn how to do everything in Linux by issuing commands and understanding its understand the system/setup files and structure, you can perform all of the tasks <u>with </u> or <u>without </u> graphical administration programs. Therefore, people People that were working on UNIX systems in the 70's can still operate new work on Linux systems (and not have to pay $10.000 every 4 years to maintain their designation, or learn new graphical administration tools)...cool!
Knowing which type of programming language to use when automating a task is based upon a programmers knowledge base and experience of . In other word, knowing which is the "'''best tool for the task'''". Should the program is be '''compiled ''' (like C, C++, etc) for efficient operation (if a lot of people run same program within a compressed period of time), or should ? Should program be '''interpreted ''' (eg. Shell Script, Perl Script, JavaScript) for ease of programming? Many factors are involved here, but '''shell scripting is definately definitely an easy way for the adminstrator administrator to automate rountine routine tasks'''... I will only be discussing Shell Scripting in the WIKI, although, you can access by webpage to learn other programming languages (like C - Course: IPC144)...
Many of the shell scripts on the Internet are "open-source" so instead of trying to "re-invent the wheel", you may be able to download, use, and /or modify the contents to meet your own needs...
There are many resources in the Internet on learning Linux commands and shell scripting.
Here is a link to an old (defunct) scripting course I taught: [https://cs.senecac.on.ca/~murray.saul/SPR720/notes.html https://cs.senecac.on.ca/~murray.saul/SPR720/notes.html]
These sample shell scripts will grow over time... Note that some of the shell scripts using the "'''zenity'''" Linux command (utility) to provide graphical input/output boxes that can be used when you run shell scripts...Therefore, shell scripting isn't as "old-fashioned" as you would suspect... Note: In order to execute, these files need to have execute permissions. You can issue the Linux command '''chmod 755 filename''' to provide execute permissions. [ [[acceptableUsePolicy.bash]] ] - Requires user "clicks OK" to abide by computer lab policy - otherwise, system will automatically log-out in 20 seconds... = Scheduling Routine Tasks (cron)= I once volunteered to set-up and provide administration support an LTSP computer lab at high-school located in Toronto, Ontario. While the school year was in process, I would visit once a week to check on the status of the computer lab. Sometimes, I would have to replace stolen mice, reconnect Ethernet cables. etc...
One day, the high-school teacher informed me that the computer system was running slower than normal. I asked the teacher when was the last time that the system has been rebooted. The teacher indicated that the system had been up for at least 5 weeks. It is important to note that a server should be rebooted on a periodic basis, since the computer system's performance may be affected by "'''zombie processes'''" (programs that were completed, but still running as a process) , or "'''memory leaks'''" (unallocated memory due to programming errors). I recommended that the teacher reboot the server once or twice a week... that solved the problem...
By the way, I suspect the cause of the problem was that students were powering-off their terminals (thin clients) instead of properly logging out their accounts...
Problems such as these may occur from time-to-time, and a Linux administrator will be called upon to provide a solution. Let's take the previous problem and add an additional element. Let's assume that the high-school is used throughout the day and night (i.e. night-school). Let's assume that the only time that the system can be rebooted is between midnight and 7 am. Obviously, the high-school teacher (nor myself) want to say up twice a week after midnight to reboot the system. Therefore, it would make sense to have this shell script (run as the "administrator") automatically for a specificied date and time...
= Additional Resources =
